My Pet Butterfly
by zitaos
Summary: Right after Mio strangled her to death, Mayu turned into a butterfly and was given the chance to either go back to her or fly away with a bunch of random butterflies. Mio decides to keep her as a "pet butterfly" but Kei doesn't seem to approve. ON HIATUS
1. Home at Last

**Mayu's POV**

I feel free.

So free.

I don't feel pain in my legs, much to my relief.

But I feel some kind of other pain.

It's in my heart.

And I've been feeling it ever since I became this crimson butterfly.

_Thank you, I whispered._

Mio just stared at me as I flew up. Up. And away. "MAYU!" she screamed.

But I ignored her and continued to fly away. Through the forest where we used to play. All the way up to the sky. With a bunch of other random butterflies.

_Hold on. Wait... why am I flying away with a bunch of random strangers? I don't remember much before becoming a butterfly. Where's my body? Oh yeah, it was thrown into a pi- WAIT, INTO A PIT? With a bunch of old men? Ewwwww. _

_Oh my gosh, I have to get my body out of there. I don't wanna be separated from my dear sister. My dear Mio._

_But it's too late. You can't escape the Hellish Abyss._

_I feel like I've been possessed..._

I kept fluttering away with the rest of the butterflies. I still kept my eye on Mio, who was running and crying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

I was confused. Why was she saying sorry? The accident so long ago wasn't her fault. But why is she still apologizing?

_Wait... Now I remember. You killed me, Mio! You strangled me to death, then those blind men threw me into that pit full of old hags. But I didn't even ask you to..._

_Then who...? Oh my gosh, I HAVE been possessed. By this one girl... I kept calling Mio "Yae" for some unknown reason. Who the hell possessed my body without my permission?_

_I hate this sixth sense. It doesn't do you any good. I mean, who would wanna see things that no one else can see?_

_Wait a second... SAE? That evil maniac with the creepy laughter? HER? She's CRAZY. Too crazy._

Now I'm floating and bouncing in the air. Staying in one place, with my eyes still on my dear sister. Mio's burying herself in her hands, crying her heart out. She's on her knees.

_Should I keep flying with those random butterflies to who knows where? No. I'm flying back to Mio._

_Mio! I'm coming back for you! I don't want to leave. Look up! Hello?_

Now I'm in front of her. Mio doesn't seem to notice.

_1... 2... 3..._

"Boo," I whispered.

Mio jumped and screamed. I landed on her nose to silence her. Then I asked, "Can you hear me?"

She crossed her eyes to see me properly and stuttered, "M-Mayu? Is that y-you?" She sniffled and transferred me on her finger.

"Yes, Mio. Look, there's no need to apologize, okay? It wasn't your fault."

"What? Oh that? Yes it was. I didn't want to listen to Sae, but-"

"Shh, it's okay. I'm here now."

Mio started to dry her tear-stained face. Then she smiled for the first time ever since we've been trapped in the Lost Village.

I smiled back (wait, butterflies can smile, right?) and said, "Let's go home."

* * *

><p>We started walking - well at least Mio did (I flew) - back to our uncle's house until Mio stopped in her tracks. She looked up to me and asked, "Wait Mayu... how are we going to explain your...transformation?"<p>

"Just tell Uncle Kei you found me in the forest and that I'm your new pet butterfly. But don't tell him it's me or else he'll go crazy," I said after a few minutes of thinking.

"But what if he spazzes out when he finds out you're the butterfly?"

"Like I said, he'll go crazy."

Silence.

"Okay," Mio muttered. She started to play around with her bangs for a little while. Once we got to Uncle Kei's house, her bangs were in the same position as mine (well, at least before I died).

"We're finally home. Away from that nightmare," I sighed happily as I rested on Mio's shoulder.

"I know," Mio smiled. She opened the door slowly and looked left to right to see where Uncle Kei was. No sign of him. Where could he be?

I flew away from Mio's shoulder and started examining the living room. _He's not there._

I checked his workroom. _He's not there either..._

I looked in the kitchen... and found him sitting at the counter, picking at his infamous pot noodles with his favorite plastic chopsticks. He looked so lonely and extremely worried because he knew he hadn't found us yet.

But now, we were here. To cast him out of his worries.

When I flew back to Mio, she looked at Uncle Kei with a look of relief on her face and whispered, "Mayu, do you think we should tell him we're here?"

"No, we shouldn't," I replied sarcastically. She rolled her eyes and said, "Okay, I'll follow you into the kitchen. Now go."

I took flight from Mio's shoulder and started flying straight ahead, at full speed. It was fun flying freely in the air until...

I bumped into the back of Uncle Kei's head and plummeted to the ground. _La, la la, la la ~ Mayu in wonderland ~_

Uncle Kei scratched his head and muttered, "Gosh, this is the third time today... What the he-" He looked back, only to find Mio scooping me up and hiding me in her hands right before he got a chance to see me.

"Mi-Mio? Is that y-you?" Uncle Kei cried. He studied her face, then he touched her cheek gently to make sure he wasn't dreaming. After he was finally convinced, he got off of his favorite stool and pulled Mio and I into a warm and firm hug that seemed to last for an eternity. Uncle Kei released us a minute later and asked, "Where's Mayu?"

Mio looked at me, with a look on her eyes that said, _What do we tell him?_

I whispered, "They couldn't find me, remember?"

She looked back up at Uncle Kei and hesitated, then she finally spoke. "Well... they couldn't really find her, so I came back...with a butterfly." She opened her hands and put me right in Uncle Kei's face for him to see.

He just looked at her as if she was the craziest person in the world. A sigh escaped his lips, then he said, "Mio, get rid of the butterfly. Please. You don't need it."

Panic spread everywhere on Mio's face. I tried to communicate with her through our minds and said, _You're on your own with this one, Mio. I can't talk. D:_

Somehow she got the message and started backing away from Uncle Kei, then she cried, "Make me." She sprinted all the way up to our room and locked the door before Uncle Kei got the chance to snatch me away from her. Mio rested her back on the door, then she tried to come up with a plan. But before she could tell me what to do, Uncle Kei unlocked the door with his secret key and demanded Mio to get rid of me. I flew to a safe place under the red bedspread before he could spot me.

"Give it to me. Now." He held his hand out and opened and closed his hands a few times. Mio opened the door for Uncle Kei and put his hand in his face, then she took his key from his other hand and pushed him out of the room, then slammed the door and locked it again.

From outside, I could hear Uncle Kei cursing under his breath, saying, "Dangit Mio, that was my only key. Give it back!" He pounded on the door furiously, crying for the key. _Weirdo._

Mio rolled her eyes and started to think again. She said, "You know, Mayu... hiding is a pretty good idea, don'tcha think?"

"No, really Mio? But I don't want to hide for the rest of my life in our bedroom... He needs to find out somehow." I started flying around again, wanting a little space for myself. I looked around the room, remembering how girly it was before we turned fifteen. The whole bedroom was decorated in a theme of crimson butterflies, with white curtains, a red lampshade, baby pink bedspreads, and butterfly pillows, of course. But now, it was just simply white, with a little red there, and a little brown over here. And maybe some black.

"I don't think it's such a good idea to keep your identity a secret," Mio said. "But then if Uncle Kei found out, then he'd be crazier than he already is."

"Exactly, so don't tell him or else he'll die of insanity. Keep your mouth shut."

Mio changed into her brown pajamas and put me on her slim finger. "You wanna sleep with me tonight?" she asked.

"Aren't you gonna shower first? We've been in the woods for a week," I sneered.

She yawned and pulled her covers over her head. "Maybe tomorrow morning." I settled down on her pillow and closed my wings. "Goodnight, Mio."

"Goodnight, Mayu." As she started to snore, I could hear footsteps shuffling from our door. But I ignored it and nestled next to Mio's ear.

Little did we know that Uncle Kei had heard everything about our dirty little secret.


	2. Not Much Time Left

**A/N: Hahaha, it was a little difficult to write in Kei's POV for this story, so yeah.**

**Warning: The letter from Yuu might have some errors, considering the stories of Sae and Yae and Miyako Sudo and Masumi Makimura, so please forgive me. Anyways, it's a fictional story, so don't be hating on made up things. My imagination, not yours. If you don't like it, feel free to change some parts...in your mind. And in your mind ONLY. Alright, well I've said too much, so you can either:**

**a) Ditch this story  
>b) Keep on reading<br>c) Get lost in the Minakami area and die.**

**Your choice.**

**...Enjoy! :D**

* * *

><p><strong>Kei's POV<strong>

"Mio, get down here! It's breakfast time~!" I shouted with a singsongy voice as I was setting up the table in the dining room.

"I'm coming, geez," Mio yawned as she descended down the stairs in her mud brown pajamas. She slumped all the way to the table and glared at me, obviously remembering what happened last night. Once she took her usual position at the table, Mio neatly arranged her steamed rice on her left and her miso soup on the right, then she whispered, "Itadakimasu," and helped herself to her bowl of rice.

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" I smiled and attempted to pat her head, but she swat my hand away before I could touch it and growled, "Don't touch me." Mio picked up some tamagoyaki with her chopsticks and arranged them neatly on a plate with some grated daikon radish on the side.

_Do you always have to be so cranky in the morning? Such a pain in the rear end, _I thought. As I started to gulp down some tsukemono, Mio stared at me. She looked like she was somehow expecting me to start a conversation. I looked back at her and cleared my throat, then I said, "So... Why did you have a butterfly with you last night? And where's my key? I need it back."

Mio glared at me once again, then she coldly replied, "Why not?" and continued to eat her tamagoyaki. "Your key is still in my room, just to let you know. You can have it back."

"I just wanted to know why. You know the rules, Mio. No pets. Remember?" I drank all my miso soup in a gulp, then I took a sip of my green tea.

"What rules? You never said anything about not having any pets in the house," she scowled. Mio finished the very last grain of her rice and started eating her broiled fish.

I slammed my cup down on the table. "Mio Amakura, I will NOT tolerate that kind of behavior in this house. Do you understand?"

Mio gave me a piercing death glare and said, "And I will NOT tolerate your questions about my butterfly. Do YOU understand?"

My hand had an urge to slap her in the face, but I resisted. "Mio, please just tell me why you have a butterfly with you."

"Uncle Kei, please just tell me why you want to know." All of her food had disappeared from her bowls and plates. She burped quite loudly, then she said, "Excuse me."

"Stay there, Mio. Explain why you have a butterfly in your room. Now. Or else I'll smush it to pieces."

"Bu-but you can't... That's too cruel!" Mio cried. Worry finally spread on her face.

"Then tell me."

"I can't. Sorry, Uncle Kei," she muttered. She stood up and cleared the table, then she headed to the kitchen.

_Dangit, she's being sneaky with me. I have to find a way to make her tell me if the butterfly really is Mayu... Come on, Kei, think! _

_Wait... Mayu told her to take a shower last night, but she refused and right now, she's in her weak and vulnerable state. So maybe she'll tell me..._

Eager to sneak the answer out of Mio, I walked up to her and offered to do the dishes.

Mio smiled and said, "Thanks!" She wiped her hands on her pajama bottoms and walked out of the kitchen. But before she could turn around the corner, I said, "Take a shower now, okay?"

She turned around and whined, "But Mayu told me to last night and I don't wan-" She gasped and put her hands over mouth, regretting what she had just said.

_Yes! Victory! Muahahahaha!_

I turned back to her and clapped my hands, then I jumped and pointed my fingers at her, exclaiming, "Aha! So it IS Mayu, hm?"

Mio pouted and tried to deny it, but it was no use. She had obviously failed to keep her butterfly a secret. But then she looked at me and said, "But now that you know, what are you gonna do about it, huh?"

I stopped cheering and stared at her, speechless.

_What WAS I gonna do about it?_

Trying to think of what to say, I mumbled, "Um, I don't know. Uhh... Well it was something about..."

"My point exactly." Mio exited the kitchen and muttered, "Weirdo. All that trouble for nothing. I can't wait to get out of this place..."

"Hey!" I tried to slap Mio, but before I could, she ran as fast as a ninja up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door, locking it once again.

_Where'd she learn to run that fast?_

I sighed and finished clearing up the sink, then I sulked all the way to my workroom and sank into my favorite leather chair. As I closed my eyes, I tried to recall why I wanted Mio to get rid of her butterfly. It had something to do with the butterfly disappearing...

* * *

><p>I remembered researching butterflies with Yuu the day before Mio came back home after being in the woods for a whole week. Then I stumbled upon some website that had something to do about a ritual performed in a strange village that required a pair of twins. In the ritual, the older twin (which was the younger one in reality) had to strangle the younger twin, then they would throw the sacrificed twin into the Hellish Abyss, some sort of pit. The bruises from the sacrificed twin's neck would turn into a butterfly, containing their soul (depending on success or failure). If it was successful, a butterfly-shaped bruise would show up on the Remaining twin's neck. But if it failed, the Remaining twin's hair would turn white, representing the post-trauma they had experienced after the ritual if they had felt too much regret or guilty or if they simply loved their twin too much.<p>

The last ritual ever performed was sometime in the 1800s, but it failed and caused something called the Repentance. Wanting to know more, Yuu looked deeper into it and found out that the village had been swallowed up by darkness. Its name was the All Gods' Village and its whereabouts were recently found in the Minakami area...

Then I realized that Mio and Mayu disappeared in that same area... Did they get trapped in that village?

Does that explain Mayu's disappearance?

But it can't be. The village was long gone. So how did they get in there in the first place?

I stretched and went outside to check my mail. There, I found a new letter from Yuu. As I walked back into my workroom, I opened the letter carefully and found a picture of two twin teenagers in white kimonos that looked eerily similar to Mio and Mayu. Curious, I read the letter to see what the picture's story was.

_Kei,_

_I searched a little more into the failed ritual that occurred so long ago, and this is what I found:_

_The twins' names were Sae and Yae Kurosawa. Their father, Ryokan Kurosawa, was the last Ceremony Master of the Minakami Village. He was the master of the Crimson Sacrifice Ritual of the set of twins born before Sae and Yae. Their names were Itsuki and Mutsuki Tachibana, and Mutsuki was the one who was sacrificed. But when Itsuki's hair turned white due to the fact that he loved Mutsuki so much, Ryokan's twin daughters were next in line for the ritual._

_When the Repentance was around the corner, a man named Seijiro Makabe and his student, Ryozo Munakata, arrived at the village. Yae had somewhat of an interest in Ryozo._

So what if Yae liked Ryozo? Does it really matter?

_And yes, Kei, that fact does matter. You'll need it later on._

Silence.

_Anyways, Ryokan was worried that Sae and Yae would not perform the ritual in time before the Repentance could happened, so he used Seijiro in the Hidden Ceremony where he would be cut and prepared by the Veiled Priests. So after he was thrown in the Hellish Abyss, it wasn't so appeased. After this, Sae and Yae attempted to run away with the help of Itsuki who was imprisoned in the storehouse because of this act. But Sae didn't want Yae to leave her behind, so she tripped and fell, waiting for Yae to come back for her. However, Sae was captured by the villagers and Yae got lost in the forest._

_When Sae came back, she went to see Itsuki one more time, only to find him hanging in the storehouse, indicating that it was suicide. So unfortunately, Ryokan had no choice but to use his remaining daughter to perform the Crimson Sacrifice Ritual in order to avoid the Repentance. Sae was escorted by many Veiled Priests to the Hellish Abyss and was hung. Then the Mourners threw her lifeless body into the Abyss, but little did they know that the ritual had failed._

_The Repentance followed the failed ritual, causing the Darkness to burst forward and killed everyone who met up with it. Sae's vengeful ghost and the Kusabi went to murder those who survived the Repentance and before they knew it..._

_The whole entire village was gone. For an eternity._

_Anyways, about Yae..._

_She finally found her way back to the village, but it was already too late. All that remained was the Torii gate entrance, and so she cried there until Ryozo Munakata came to rescue her. According to what I found, they say she lost her memories due to grief, shock, and possibly the Repentance. Some time later, Ryozo and Yae got married and had a child named Mikoto._

_You try figuring out the rest of the situation here. I've done my part._

_Yuu._

I checked the letter to see if there were any sidenotes or loose papers. One fell out of the envelope.

_By the way, for those who actually found the village these days..._

_Well, they were screwed. Take this one lady named Miyako Sudo, for example. Her boyfriend, Masumi Makimura, was missing in the same area Mio and Mayu were, and the search party gave up after just ten days. So Miyako found the Lost Village and reunited with Masumi temporarily, but then she didn't have the ability to move because of some "injury" she got while looking for him._

_When they reunited again, Miyako chased Masumi around, but she had no idea that he was already killed. When Masumi's ghost saw her follow him into the back room of the Osaka House, he strangled her to death and they both never returned to the human world._

_Sounds spooky, right?_

My spine started tingling. I was still confused about all this info Yuu had researched for me. Sure, it was helpful, but how would I use it at a time like this?

No, it wasn't helpful. I didn't get it. I needed Yuu's help. ASAP.

I dialed his number on the phone, waiting for him to answer.

"Asou residence." Yuu didn't sound very happy.

"Hey Yuu, it's Kei. Uh, could I talk to you for a while? It's about the research..."

"Look Kei, I'm kind of busy right now... Could I help you later?"

"No, Yuu, I need your help right now. This is serious."

"Sorry, but the situation I'm in is serious as well. Could you call me later?"

"What the hell is more serious than my missing niece at this moment?"

"Kei, you're gonna have to handle this one on your own, okay? Rei's not feeling so good at the moment..."

"Oh, so you're gonna pick Rei over me, the guy you've known since we were kids?"

There was breathing over the phone.

"...I'm sorry, Kei. Maybe later, okay? Please try to understand. Rei has morning sickness, so..."

"Yuu, it's your fault for getting her pregnant."

"...We're not sure about it yet. Kei, calm your-"

"Fine, Yuu. I'll just figure this out on my own, okay?"

"Geez, that's what I said in the first place... Wait, Rei's okay now. Let me get her settled in bed quickly, then I'll call you back soon."

"Don't horse around in there..."

"Kei!"

I put the phone back in its cradle, then I stood up and thought for a while. As I looked at the letter on the desk one last time, another sidenote fell on the ground.

It said:

_All the villagers and people who died in the Lost Village became crimson butterflies (sorry for not mentioning that earlier)..._

_The crimson butterflies from the village... They only live for one week, then they die once again. Their life is one week shorter than the average butterfly._

I thought about how this information was helpful, unlike the other two pieces of crap.

But then, everything started to come together...

_The Crimson Sacrifice Ritual..._

_Sae's vengeful ghost..._

_Crimson butterflies..._

_If Mio and Mayu got stuck in that village..._

_They were forced by the villagers' ghosts to perform the ritual._

_And if they look like Sae and Yae..._

_Then, did Sae possibly possess Mayu just to force Mio to kill her?_

_And if they did perform it..._

_It was probably successful since Mayu is now a butterfly._

_And since crimson butterflies only live for one week..._

_Mayu will die soon._

I have to tell Mio to get rid of Mayu as soon as possible.

Because I don't want Mio to feel so much pain for the rest of her life without Mayu by her side.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry if it's so long... Was it boring? Thanks for reading. Next chapter... Mio's POV. So yeah. Can't wait to finish this, muahaha.**


	3. Awkward

**Mio's POV**

"Mayu..."

I bit my lip as I was drying my hair with my towel, trying to fight the tears. But they couldn't stop.

She flew up to me, her wings beating slowly...and slowly...

"Mio, I heard everything."

"I'm so sorry," I whispered as I buried my face in my hands.

"Why do you keep saying sorry?"

"Why can't I?" I looked out the window and saw that raindrops were falling down, one by one.

Mayu sighed. "You may not be as vulnerable as I am to ghosts, but you sure are vulnerable to Uncle Kei and his sneaky ways..."

"Hey! It's not like I was possessed by a ghost," I argued.

"Well, it depends. You never know, Mio, you never know."

_What a smart ass._

I walked up to the windowsill and slid the white silk curtains out of the way, then I opened the window outwards and put my hand out to feel the soft, gentle rain.

Mayu flew up to me and rested on my shoulder. She started to get lighter and lighter, then she somehow felt limp against my skin.

Worried, I touched her gently and called her name, but she didn't answer.

"Mayu? Are you okay?"

No response.

"Mayu!"

Uncle Kei stormed right in when I cradled Mayu in my hands.

_Wait, how'd he get in the room even though it was locked?_

"Mio, give me the butterfly," he demanded. "Now."

I glared at him and sneered, "Why should I trust you? You maniac..."

He put his firm hand on my shoulder and stroke my damp hair lightly, then he whispered, "Because..."

"Because what? Huh?"

"Mio, don't pretend to act all cool right now. Get rid of the butterfly, please."

"For the millionth time, why do you wa-"

"You're gonna hurt, Mio!" Uncle Kei shouted furiously.

Alarmed and hurt, I cried, "How? I'm only gonna get hurt if you take her away. So don't."

He looked at me, tears welling up in his eyes. "It'll hurt even more when she dies."

"W-when she d-dies? What do you mean?" I stared at him, shocked. The rain got heavier.

"Mio, she can only live until the end of the week. After that, that's it."

"How would you know? Do you want her to die?"

"No! I don't want to lose Mayu... but she has to go," he sighed.

"Uncle Kei, get out." I pointed towards the door, signaling him to leave the room.

"Fine! If you want to get hurt, don't blame me," Uncle Kei said.

"The only thing that's hurting me is you!" I shouted, tears streaming on my face.

He looked like he just got slap in the face. "Mio, I'm only doing this because I love you and Mayu more than anything else in the world." After he took one look good at Mayu in my hands, Uncle Kei backed away with tears in his eyes and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

I slid my back down the wall and held Mayu close to my heart, petting her wings lightly, trying to wake her up from her blackout.

"Mayu?" I whispered. "Please answer me. Please..."

"Mio, I only 'passed out' because Uncle Kei was coming..." Mayu muttered as she flapped her wings slowly.

I shot up from the ground, causing Mayu to bump into the wall. "Y-you heard everything?"

"I knew the whole time, Mio. I knew," she whispered. I could hear a hint of regret and sadness in her voice.

"Mayu..."

The rain started to pound furiously against the windows, expressing my anger towards her.

"Mio, I can expl-"

"How could you?"

"Mio, I-"

"You and Uncle Kei knew all of this without telling me in the first place! Why didn't you guys tell me until now?" I screamed as I threw a brown laced pillow at Mayu, barely hitting her left wing.

"We don't want you to get hurt, Mio! And it's a custom for all the crimson butterflies that have died in the All Gods Village." she shouted back.

"It's too late now, you weirdos. My heart aches so much right now. You want to know why? Hm? It hurts like hell because I know that I'm going to lose my sister at the end of the week, and there's so much I want to tell her," I sobbed, clutching a red pillow to my chest.

"Mio," Mayu whispered.

"What?" I muffled as I buried my face in the pillow.

"I love you."

I actually considered that thought for a while, but then I shook my head. "No you don't!" I shot back.

"Yes, I do. I didn't want you to get hurt, that's why I didn't tell you about this," she said.

"R-really?"

"Yes, dumbass."

"Oh." I looked at her, dumbfounded.

"Wait a second," I said. "I just went through this whole conversation with Uncle Kei a few minutes ago!"

"No, really?" Mayu replied with sarcasm in her voice.

"Yeaah!" I smiled widely.

She laughed and said, "Haha, oh well. So now that you know... what are you gonna do about it?"

"I...just want to spend every day with you until your last dying breath," I sang, off-key.

"Wow," Mayu breathed. "After just hearing that, I might actually leave you right now..."

I glared at her.

"Just kidding!" she giggled.

"Oh."

There was an awkward silence in the room, besides the rain lessening slightly.

"Well..." I said. "Let's spend time together with Uncle Kei going to our favorite places."

"Besides the Minakami area..." she muttered.

I shuddered at the thought. "Where should we go tomorrow?" I asked softly.

"Hmm...let's get new clothes! For you, anyway," she exclaimed.

"Haha, but what if they don't let you in the store?"

"Hide me in a bag. Gosh Mio, think outside the box for once, will you?"

"Alright!" I beamed happily as the sun finally came out.

I love how the weather expresses my feelings.

* * *

><p>"Uncle Keiii~!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, annoying the crap out of my uncle.<p>

"Yes?" Uncle Kei grunted as he opened the door. He looked at me with red bloodshot eyes, making it obvious that he had cried so many tears in the past hour.

"I want to go shopping tomorrow. With you," I said.

He scratched his head and yawned, "Why?"

"Well..." I mumbled. "I wanted to, y'know, bond with you."

"What about Mayu?"

"She's coming, too," I blurted.

Uncle Kei raised an eyebrow. "Really? Hmm... fine with me, I guess," he answered with tiredness in his voice.

"Yay!" I exclaimed as I danced around happily in front of him. He tapped his mouth lightly as he yawned, then his body swayed around slowly.

But before I could catch him in my arms, he fell on top of me, causing me to collapse on the floor. I tried shoving him off of me, but then I looked at his face.

He looked so... tired and peaceful at the same time. For a second, I almost thought he was dead. But no. He was just sleeping.

I sat up, with Uncle Kei's head resting on my shoulder. I stayed there for a while, not knowing what to do. So I continued to stare at his face while hugging my knees close to my chest.

Studying his face started to get interesting. His facial expressions changed every once in a while, which was funny and amusing at the same time. At times, his eyebrows would go up, then at other times, his mouth would open slightly.

I stroke his hair out of his face to see his forehead, only to find nothing but pale and smooth skin. Usually you'd find a mole or at least SOMETHING on a forehead, but nooo. It was flawless. Perfect. And so very...

_Ehh, let's not go there. Oh haha, they say you're dumb if you don't have a mole on your forehead, right? Or is it the other way around?_

"Mio?" Uncle Kei muttered as his eyes fluttered open.

I jumped a little, then I stood up. "Uncle Kei, you're awake!" I exclaimed as he rubbed his eyes. He looked up at me and yawned once more, then he got up slowly and stretched his arms out in the open space. A look of worry spread on his face.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked.

"Oh, it's nothing, Mio," Uncle Kei admitted, then he scratched his head and headed towards the stairs.

Before he went up the first step, I ran up to him and hugged him from behind. "Uncle Kei," I whispered.

Uncle Kei stood there for a while, then he wrapped his hands around mine and said, "If you're sorry, I understand. I'm sorry as well, for making you get rid of Mayu."

"It's okay," I breathed. I found tears falling from my face as I embraced him tighter, watching the gentle rain come back. After a long silence, I finally said, "You should get some rest now."

"But it's only two in the afternoon," he argued.

"Ever heard of naps?" I chuckled.

Uncle Kei rolled his eyes. "I guess a few hours wouldn't hurt..."

"Great! I'll wake you up when it's dinner time."

"Mio... no offense, but you kinda suck at-"

"Shut up, I'll teach myself. Now go snooze."

"Watch it, young lady," Uncle Kei sneered as he slumped all the way to his bedroom.

I smiled and headed toward the kitchen, where the sun came out once again.

* * *

><p>"Okay, since I wanted to thank Uncle Kei for taking care of me all these years, I've decided to make a huge dinner with your help," I beamed as the two of us stood - well, Mayu was in the air, of course - in front of all the fresh vegetables I had picked from the market earlier.<p>

"Um, Mio... you can't-"

"Shut the hell up, Mayu. That's why I called you here to help me," I whined as I tied my hair to the side.

"I feel like I'm being used..." Mayu sighed as she flew around me a couple of times.

I stared at her. "Maybe..."

"Ughhh, Mio!" she groaned. I smirked and chuckled, then I washed my hands and prepared the cutting knife.

"Mio, let's just make cup ramen, okay?" Mayu cried. "I can't interact with any of this stuff because of my size and form. And it makes me miss the times when I would make dinner sometimes..."

"So I bought all these vegetables for nothing?" I whimpered, trying to convince my sister to stop ruining the dinner plan.

"No... Well you can make regular ramen, right?" she inquired.

"I've tried a few times, but..." I mumbled as I fidgeted with my thumbs absentmindedly. I remembered the last time I made ramen... and the results were pretty ugly.

Mayu sighed. "Just listen to me, alright? I'll guide you."

I was about to tell her that that was her whole purpose right now, but I just kept my mouth shut as she started telling me how to slice the vegetables.

I took the knife and thinly sliced the cabbage perfectly, to both me and Mayu's surprise. She gasped and started to fly around happily, cheering for me. The rest of the dinner preparation went pretty well, except for the time I accidentally dropped one of the eggs on the floor, which furied Mayu greatly.

I swear, she acted as if she was on PMS. I'm not kidding.

Anyways, once the ramen was done, I took out the most sophisticated bowls Uncle Kei owned and poured a generous amount of hot steaming ramen in each bowl. Then I took the sliced boiled eggs and placed them carefully on top of the ramen and sprinkled special garnish to finish it off.

I took one good look at the two bowls of ramen and for once in my life, I actually felt proud of something I did. I turned my head to face Mayu, then I exclaimed, "Mayu, we did it! Just the two of us!" I started to dance happily around the kitchen counter as she flew right behind me, joining me in my victory dance.

"Go call Uncle Kei now. I'll watch over the ramen," Mayu said. I nodded and happily skipped my way up the stairs, then I turned to the left, where Uncle Kei's room was.

When I got there, I knocked lightly on his bedroom door. "Uncle Kei?" I said softly. I didn't hear any response, so I walked into the room and called his name once again. I took a brief glimpse of the sky and saw that the warm cheery sun was slowly getting ready to rest so that it could serve its purpose the next day: to express my feelings.

Just kidding.

Suddenly, I heard a piercing scream. Not the manly kind I expected to hear, but a very girly one. I turned to look at where the sound came from, only to find Uncle Kei standing in the doorway of the bathroom, with nothing but a towel wrapped around his lower body. My hair started to rise from my head as he stared at me with his big brown eyes.

I knew I couldn't say this out loud or probably even think about it, but for a second there, I thought Uncle Kei was hot. Like, so damn sexy. I mean, you could see a full six-pack right there on his body. It was just sooo... frickin... sexy. Y'know what I mean? And he had MUSCLES.

Uncle Kei started making his way towards me, then he pat my head and asked, "Mio, are you okay?"

"Huh, what? Oh yeah, d-d-d-dinner's r-r-ready," I stuttered as I tried to stop looking at his oh-so-sexy body. I could have sworn I felt drool dripping from the corner of my mouth.

"Oh, great! Um, I'll put on a T-shirt and some pants, then I'll be right there, okay?"

I was unaware that I had kept my eyes on his body the whole time.

"Uh, Mio?"

I was still staring.

"Mio?" Uncle Kei waved his hand in my face.

Still looking straight at his arms and his six-pack.

"MIO AMAKURA! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Uncle Kei screamed when he finally realized what I was staring at.

_So that's where the girl scream came from..._

I felt a hard slap on my head. "Ow, what the- ehh sorry, I'll set up the table now. Mayu and I are waiting."

"Look who's the weird one now," he muttered as I sprinted out the door, almost falling down the stairs on my way to the kitchen.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Wow, that was the weirdest chapter of this story so far, don'tcha think? Completely random. So yeah, sorry if it took so long to update. And it lacks description of the setting, but it'll get better later on. On to my next chapter! I think I'll probably finish this in a few weeks, depending on how much I procrastinate. BTW, is it weird for a niece to think her uncle is...hot? Gosh, I wish I was Mio or Mayu for once... Um. lol kbye.**


	4. A Bad Dinner and First Kiss?

**Mayu's POV**

_Uncle Kei, please praise Mio for the ramen. She put all her effort in it, even though I helped her during most of it._

All I wanted tonight was for Mio to be truly proud of "her" ramen, but I knew that wouldn't happen. In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

"Blech, this tastes too salty! Mio, what did you put in here?" Uncle Kei shouted from across the table in the dining room as he slammed his chopsticks down furiously.

"It was the soup base, don't blame me... Geez, can't you be nice for once?" Mio cried as she avoided our uncle's death glares.

"Ha, you think I'm not nice? I let you live under my roof, I make dinner for you, I buy all your clothes-"

"And I made this just to thank you for your kindness these years! Can't you eat it without making a bad comment?" she screamed as tears blurred her eyes. Mio took her empty bowl and washed it furiously at the kitchen sink, trying to see through all of her salty teardrops. While she was rinsing the soap from the bowl and the pot we used to cook the ramen, I flew over to Uncle Kei and hit him hard on the head, earning another throbbing headache.

"What do you want, Mayu?" Uncle Kei mumbled as he picked at the soggy ramen.

"It's not polite to criticize someone's cooking in their face," I said, obviously mad at his insensitivity for both my cooking and Mio's cooking as well. ESPECIALLY Mio's.

"Well, what do you want me to do, lie to her by saying that it was the best ramen ever?" he sneered as he tried eating the ramen.

"No, but you could have at least thanked her for the effort she put in this," I muttered. "And me as well," I said in between intentional coughing.

"You made this, too?" Uncle Kei asked. "B-but your cooking is so much better than th-"

"All I did was tell Mio what to do, Uncle Kei. The rest of the dinner was her doing," I spat out.

A look of guilt spread on his face. "Wow, Mio really DID put all her effort in this. What was I thinking? Gosh, I'm sorry, Mayu," Uncle Kei admitted.

"I think someone else needs an apology, too," I whispered as I saw Mio walk back into the dining room to pick up Uncle Kei's half-finished bowl.

As Mio reached for his bowl, Uncle Kei held her hand and said, "Hey, let me finish this, okay?" He smiled and stood up, then he pulled her into an embrace.

Mio put her arms around his neck and looked at me with gratitude, then she mouthed, "Thank you."

I smiled at her and rested on her shoulder once she let go of Uncle Kei.

"You two can go upstairs now, okay? I'll wash my bowl and chopsticks. Thanks for the ramen!" Uncle Kei beamed as he headed towards the kitchen.

While Mio was on her way up to our room, I glared at Uncle Kei. He started to whimper like a lost puppy and ran off to his secret corner, which was in the bottom shelf of the pantry, to my surprise.

_Not so secret anymore... I should tell Mio where it is so that she could find Uncle Kei faster._

* * *

><p>"Mayu... what did it feel like to be strangled?" Mio asked as she positioned herself on my bed.<p>

"What did it feel like... to be strangled?" I repeated. This time, I decided not to be sarcastic.

She nodded, then she closed her eyes and prepped herself for imagination.

"Well, you're choking, of course," I started. "And then you struggle for air... Then, you suffocate in the person's grip and eventually... you die."

Mio's eyes fluttered wide open. She started to shake uncontrollably, holding her head with her hands. Then she started to gasp for air.

"Mio!" I shouted. I rushed to aid my sister, but she blacked out before I could reach her.

I started to panic because I knew I couldn't fly through a closed door and I also knew that Mio needed medical attention right away.

_How will I get out of here? The door and the windows are closed, and there's no open gap anywhere..._

_Wait, open gap... Oh hey, the bottom of the door! Maybe I could fit through it if I just-_

"Mio, Mayu, is everything alright?" Uncle Kei called from the hallway.

"No!" I cried. "Uncle Kei, Mio passed out! We need to take her to the hospital!" I started to sob, afraid that Mio wouldn't wake up anytime soon.

He opened the door and gasped in horror as he saw Mio on the bed, unconscious and very pale. "Mio!" he screamed. "Mayu, what happened?"

"I described the feeling of being strangled, then she shook uncontrollably and started to lose her breath, and all of a sudden, she just blacked out," I said in between sobs.

"Crap, the nearest hospital is two hours away," Uncle Kei muttered. "And why the hell would you describe the feeling of being strangled?"

"She asked!"

"...oh." He looked at Mio once again, then he picked her up and carried her in his arms. "Let's get going."

"Wait!" I shouted. "Do you know how to do..."

"Do what?" Uncle Kei looked at me with a horrified look for he knew what I was going to ask him to do.

"...CPR?" I looked at him, desperate for him to get it over with.

"Aw hell no-"

"She's your niece, for Pete's sake! Man up! If you don't do it, then how will you explain to Mom that both of her daughters are dead?" I screamed furiously.

"...fine," he whispered. He glared at me, then he put Mio down gently on my bed and closed his eyes. He tilted her head back a little, then he opened her mouth slightly and bent down to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. But then he stopped and said, "Wait, does this count as a first kiss?"

I looked at him awkwardly. "You've never...kissed anyone before?"

"No..."

"Then yes."

"Dammit! Well, here we go," he groaned. He closed his eyes tightly and placed his lips on top of hers, then he started blowing air into her mouth. He opened his eyes to check on Mio's status, but she was still unconscious. Uncle Kei whined and repeated the same process twice.

Right when he pressed his lips against hers for the fourth time, Mio's eyes fluttered open. Her eyes got wider as she felt Uncle Kei's mouth on top of hers, then she gripped his shoulders and pushed him off fiercely.

"Oh my gosh Uncle Kei, d-did you just k-k-k-kiss me?" Mio stuttered.

"Noo, it's not like that. You weren't breathing, so I had to-"

"You just stole my first kiss!" she pouted. Tears started falling from her face.

"Well, you did too!" Uncle Kei argued.

"What the-"

"Never speak of it," he growled as he got up and exited our room, slamming the door behind him.

"Mio!" I cried. "You're safe! Oh my goodness, for a while there, I thought we were gonna lose you." I flew to Mio and landed on her nose. She looked at me cross-eyed and cried some more.

"Well, I know that I'm going to lose you soon," she whispered. "And I know I don't want to. Thank you for the past fifteen years we've spent together."

My heart shattered into pieces. "Why are you already saying your goodbyes to me?"

"You never know what might happen in the next few days we have together."

"Well, if that's the case... Mio, I wanted to tell you something."

"Me too. But you first."

"Hold on... let's just wait until Saturday, alright?" I muttered.

"Mayu..."

"Please? That's my only wish right now."

Mio sighed. "Fine. But be careful what you wish for." She giggled, then she placed me on my pillow and said good night.

Before I knew it, the two of us were sleeping peacefully, side by side.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hello there, I had no idea what this was about. But anyways... This was just a continuation of chapter three, so yeaah. The next chapter will be about Kei shopping with his nieces and asdfghjkl. Whatever. Kbye.**


	5. Accidental Encounter

**Kei's POV**

The thing I hated most about walking down busy streets was attracting many women and girls every second. And some of them were not attractive themselves. But some of them were alright.

And then there were the really good-looking ones.

Which made me like my charm of being sexy.

Not that I'm conceited or anything like that. Maybe.

Anyways, no luck so far. Mio and I have been walking down this street for two minutes now, and there doesn't seem to be a single girl swooning over me.

_Have they lost interest in me? That's messed up._

I looked to my left, but all I saw were mannequins. _Oh, how I wish they were real. They keep on staring at me, but they're frickin' mannequins. Bweeh._

I tilted my head to the right, but it was still the same.

Then I looked back.

Behind me were two women. And both of them were so. Damn. Hot. One looked familiar... And as for her friend... she looked like a foreigner.

_Is she even Japanese? _I wondered to myself as they came closer.

"Mio," the black-haired girl said as she tapped my niece's shoulder lightly. "Is that you?"

Mio turned back. "Oh, Misaki!" she exclaimed. "Long time, no see."

_Misaki... where had I heard that name before? Wait, the family reunion! She got even prettier._

"How have you been?" she asked. "It's been seven years since I've seen you."

"I've been well, Misaki. Time flies," Mio replied.

"It does. How old are you now?"

"Fifteen."

"Ah, you grow up so fast, little cuz!" Misaki beamed as she gave Mio a little noogie on the head.

"I thought you were my aunt," Mio muttered.

"Oh wait... Yeah, never mind." Misaki turned to face me. "Oh, it's you."

I looked at her. "Misaki-"

"I still haven't forgotten last time," she sneered.

"Yeah, about that-"

"Look, forget it."

"But-"

"Shh," she whispered as she placed her pointer finger lightly on my bottom lip. My face turned red.

Mio and the foreign-looking girl stared at us awkwardly, then in unison, they said, "What happened last time?"

"Nothing!" we shouted at the same time. Misaki glared at me, then she looked at her friend and said, "Let's go, Ruka."

Ruka nodded and smiled at me and Mio, then she followed Misaki towards the store where we were going.

"Uncle Kei," Mio whispered. "What DID you do with her?"

"Long story, Mio. Don't ask."

"I have time. The shopping can wait."

I groaned. "Fine, but-"

Misaki walked out of the store. "Okay Mio, so it all happened at the family reunion seven years ago. I wanted to get to know your uncle more, so I-"

"Started to talk to me, then we just..."

"What the hell did you do?" Mio shouted. Heads started turning our way.

"I tripped, Kei caught me, and I landed on top of him." Misaki blushed and turned away.

"Oh. My. Gosh. You make such a big deal out of that? All you did was land on him and then-"

"That's not all, Mio. That's not all," I said.

"Then what?"

"We..."

"Uhh...

"Awh come on now, get to the point already!"

"Fine! I kissed him!" Misaki pouted.

"So I wasn't your first kiss, huh?" Mio said.

"N-not exactly," I stuttered as I scratched my head, looking at Misaki. She looked down and hid her face from the crowd. All eyes were on us now.

"I-it was an accident, y'know? But you pushed me away and you made me bump my head on the table." Misaki started to cry.

I placed my hand on her shoulder. "Misaki, don't cry here. We're in public. You're embarassing the two of us," I whispered.

But she ignored me and shrugged my hand off her shoulder, then she screamed, "And then you touched my ass!"

"It was an accident!" I shouted. People started crowding around us.

"Whatever," she said.

A police officer walked towards us. "Sir, you're gonna have to take this somewhere else. You're distracting the people who work here."

"Well tell that to the mistress!" I shouted.

"Excuse me, sir. Don't you dare shout at me like that, you hear me?"

"Mister, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault, and I shouldn't have mentioned it in the first place," Misaki said quietly and innocently.

"It's okay. But next time, handle this in a private place, alright?"

We bowed our heads in unison. "Yes sir!" we shouted. He rolled his eyes and walked away.

Misaki dried her eyes and chuckled. "Works every time."

"What the hell was that for, bitch? You just humiliated us in front of everyone in town!"

"But it's so amusing. That's revenge, you asshole."

The crowd started shouting, "Ohhh, she got you baad!"

Misaki smirked and walked back into the store, then as I looked at Mio, her jaw was practically on the floor.

"That... was so epic," she breathed.

"Oh shut up, Mio. Let's go."

"Did you see that? She pwned you real hard. Like, really REALLY hard." Mio started to laugh her ass off.

I took her hand and said, "Let's go." We walked into the Tsukimori Fashion Deparment, where Misaki was snickering next to Ruka. I glared at her and looked at Mio. She was taking Mayu out of her backpack, and she looked like she gave her a quick flirtacious smile.

"Mio, what was that just now?" I asked.

"What was what?"

"That look you gave Mayu."

She stood there, hair rising from her head. "Uh, nothing," she coughed. "Geez, mind your own business, Uncle Kei." Mio stomped away, with Mayu floating behind her.

As I rolled my eyes, I felt a little nudge on my back. I turned to see who it was. And it was Misaki.

"What do you want now?" I growled.

"W-what happened to Mayu?" she asked in a worried tone.

I froze. "We didn't bring her."

"Come on, Kei. I heard everything."

"Who said we couldn't name a butterfly Mayu?"

"Who said you could have a butterfly in this store?" the woman from the counter shouted. She took a net and started walking towards Mayu.

"No!" Mio and I shouted in unison. But it was too late; the woman caught Mayu and trapped her in a jar. With no holes on the top.

"Dammit!" Mio mumbled. "Uncle Kei, help me get her!"

"Excuse me, miss! Could we please have the butterfly back?" I asked the lady who captured Mayu.

"No, sir. It has to stay here until you're done shopping."

"But why?" I whined.

"Because it's distracting to the customers," she sneered. "And young girl, please give me your backpack."

Mio rolled her eyes and threw it at the lady's feet. "Misaki! Could you help me?"

"At least give the butterfly some air, will you?" I said.

"Sorry, can't."

"And why is that?"

"It's a punishment for you bringing it in the first place."

"Her, not it," I corrected.

"Look, I don't care. Now hurry with your shopping so that she can be free."

"She's gonna die, you ass!" I screamed.

"Who cares?"

"I do!"

"Then I'll give it back to you-"

"Yay!"

"Under one condition."

"The hell."

"You..." she said as she stood there, thinking.

"Can I kiss you?" I suggested. She was pretty anyway.

"Deal!" she beamed. I leaned in, but just when our lips were about to touch, Mio pulled me away.

"Uncle Kei, I'm done! Let's go home," she said.

I rolled my eyes. "Mio, go look around some more."

"But I'm done."

"And I'm not," I scowled.

"Ugh, Misaki!" she groaned.

"Excuse me, Kei, this is a public store. So unless you want to get caught by the police again and thrown in jail, I suggest you pay and leave."

"Fine." I took out my wallet, then I glanced at Mio. "How much is it?"

"Two hundred dollars."

I stared at her, wide-eyed. "T-t-t-two-"

"She's kidding," Misaki chuckled. "Fifteen."

I sighed with relief. "You should really stop scaring me like that, Misaki."

"What did I say? It's fun."

I gave the girl behind the counter a twenty dollar bill, then she opened the cash register and gave me five one-dollar bills.

"Oh, you can keep the change," I whispered. "What's your name?"

"M-Madoka," she muttered as her cheeks turned rosy red.

"Madoka, hm?" I said as I leaned in closer. As I pecked my lips on her cheek, she suddenly faded away. Seconds later, she reappeared but this time, her eyes could not be seen and half of her face was shaded black.

"Holy shi-"

"I told you not to kiss her, especially in public!" Misaki screamed. "Look what happened!" She whipped out an old rusty camera from her purse and started taking random pictures of her.

"What the hell is that gonna do?" I asked.

Mio turned her head to see what Misaki was doing. She froze, then her face turned pale. "Uncle K-K-K-Kei? What is she holding?" she mumbled as she pointed to the camera, her whole body trembling.

"I have no clue."

Madoka started floating behind Mio, then she said something I couldn't make out. Misaki pointed the camera towards Mio, then she took one last picture of Madoka as Mio held her head in her hands and screamed, "Get it away from me!"

"Mio!" I shouted. I rushed to her side and caught her in my arms as she collapsed. After Madoka was defeated, Misaki collapsed as well.

"I'll get Mayu," Mio said as she got up and ran to the jar Mayu was trapped in. I got up and rushed to Misaki the same time Ruka did.

"Misaki!" I picked her up and laid her head on my lap, trying to wake her up. Unsuccessful, I looked at Ruka, waiting for her to tell me what to do.

"Misaki... I can't remember the last time this happened, but I think she doesn't wake up until a few hours."

"Crap. Now what about Madoka?"

"She'll reappear in human form in a month or so."

"So what are we gonna do now?" I asked.

"Uh, I suggest you take her to your place and watch over her for a while. Call me when she wakes up, okay?"

As we looked around, the whole store seemed to be deserted. One woman left, saying, "Goodness, why are they so odd?"

Ruka chuckled. "Well hey, we have to close the store now."

"Right," I muttered. I picked up Misaki and carried her on my back, then I called out to Mio. She held Mayu in her hands and said, "Everything's alright. No worries."

"I couldn't breathe in there," Mayu whined. "Well anyways... that was one hell of a day."

"Oh trust me, it's not over yet," I mumbled to myself as I followed Ruka and Mio out the door. Ruka locked it up, then she started walking towards the corner.

"Hold on, where are you going?" I called out.

"Home!" she shouted from ten feet away.

"How far is it?"

"One mile, walking distance."

"Don't you want me to drop you off?"

"Oh, I'm fine. But thanks anyway."

I rushed to her and gripped her shoulder gently. "Come on, you're wearing heels."

She blushed slightly, then she held my hand and said, "I've done this for a few months now. It's alright, Kei."

"But your heels are worn out," I said.

"Kei, it's fine. Really."

"Please, I'll take you home."

She thought for a while, then she said, "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt."

"Great! Now follow me," I chuckled.

"Alright then." Ruka smiled, then she took off her heels and ran towards Mio.

_Wow, the day seemed rather interesting._

"Am I too heavy?" a voice mumbled. I realized it was Misaki's.

"No, not at all," I lied.

"Good. I don't want to walk."

"I'm being sarcastic."

"And so am I," she said as she jumped off of me. "So... do you have any plans tomorrow?"

"Erm, I'd rather keep quiet about that..."

"Come on, seriously. Do you?"

"Well, Mio and I were planning to go to the beach and-"

"Can I come?" Misaki asked.

"Ask Mio."

"I'm asking you first."

"Sure, why not?"

"Thanks, I guess."

"Hey, it's not like I want you to."

"Well then." She stretched her arms out, then she called out Ruka's name. Ruka turned back and smiled, then she rushed to Misaki.

"Let's go home. We're going to the beach tomorrow," Misaki announced.

"Really? Well I guess it would be fun," Ruka mumbled to no one, scratching her head uncertainly.

"It will be, Ruka. Don't be such a killjoy," she said.

"Fine."

Misaki sighed contentedly. "Good. Pick us up at eight, okay?"

"Ah, alright," I answered.

"Ja ne!" the two girls shouted in unison, then they raced each other and turned around the corner.

Mio walked up to me and crossed her arms. "So... is this a date or something?"

"Mio, stop thinking of it like that, okay?" Mayu scowled.

"I know, right? It's pissing me off," I said.

"Mio's just jealous, Uncle Kei," Mayu chuckled.

"Am not!" Mio denied.

"Face it, Mio. You're just my niece. And I love you. But not that way."

"I know, but... Never mind." We continued to walk down the empty street just as the sun started to set.

"Hey Uncle Kei," Mayu whispered as I kicked a stone to the side.

"Mm?"

"I can tell you like Misaki," she giggled.

I pouted. "No, I don't."

"Come on, admit it. I see the look on your face every time you look at her."

"Mayu, it's been seven years since we've seen each other."

"But seriously, you should see your face when you look at her."

"Whatever, Mayu."

"Uncle Kei, she DOES like you," Mio admitted.

My ears perked up. "Shut up. You're only saying that to make me feel better."

"Aha! You DO like her," she snickered.

"Dammit," I muttered. "Fine, maybe I do. But guys, it feels wrong to like someone who's in the family."

"But she's on our dad's side, Uncle. And you're on our mom's side," Mayu declared.

I thought about it for a while. "That's true, but still-"

"Make a move, Uncle Kei. It's worth a try," Mio beamed.

"Yeah, please?" Mayu pleaded.

I groaned. "Gosh, I can't believe you're making me do this. Fine, I will."

"Yay!" they squealed in unison.

Girls these days.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Whew, that was long! LOL anyways, sorry for all that dialogue. Nothing really interesting, eh? Haha, I know I used US currency, so sorry for that as well. And this was kind of an experiment chapter. Well, should I keep Misaki in the story? Or drop her? Meh, tell me in a review or PM.**

**Alright, I'm off to write the beach chapter. Later!**


	6. Guilt and Hatred

**A/N: Hey guise, I'm back! Sorry if I took so long to update. I've been procrastinating on the BCL forums lately, ehe. Anyways, I'm going to share a fun fact with you:**

**This was supposed to be "My Crimson Butterfly" at first, but I realized that wasn't really specific... Or is it?**

**Not such a fun fact, eh? Who cares, aha. You'll see more romance between Kei and Misaki as the story progresses. Sounds good enough? Now let's move on, shall we?**

**Anyways, this is a serious sidechapter that explains a little more about Mio and the relationship with her mom.**

* * *

><p><strong>Mio's POV<strong>

"Which bikini should I wear, Mayu?" I asked as I looked into my seemingly empty closet.

"Mio, it's six in the morning, dammit. We're not going to the beach until eleven," Mayu yawned.

"Ehe, so? Just help me! I can't decide between the gold or the pink," I whined. Why did Mayu have to be so unsupportive at times?

"Choose pink. You're gonna burn your ass off with the gold and its shiny material."

"Damn you, Mayu." I sighed and threw the pink bikini on the bed, then I sunk down into the soft mattress and closed my eyes.

"Mio..."

"Yeah?"

"I- uh, never mind."

"You...sure?"

"..Yeah."

Things have been quite strange ever since Mayu became a butterfly. I mean, she became more harsh and sarcastic. Total opposite of what she really was before we got ourselves into this mess. She was so kind and innocent before... But now, what happened?

I wonder if...

She was possessed by Sae again.

Wait, no. That can't be. Sae's already been calmed. I separated her evil soul from her innocent soul with the Camera Obscura for eternity, so why would she possess dear Mayu again?

The ritual is complete, so why bother, right?

Unless Mayu had an evil part of her as well. To get revenge on me for killing her, even though she asked? Well, Sae, not her.

No. Pfft, that's silly.

Mayu... She's too kind to have an evil side. Too sweet. Too gentle.

_Mayu..._

* * *

><p>"Mio, are you ready?" Uncle Kei shouted from downstairs.<p>

"Yeah, hold on!" I grabbed my beach bag from the bed, then I ran out the door and shut it behind me. The cold air from outside the window in the hallway suddenly gust forth, so I ran down the stairs as fast as I could.

When I walked in the living room, I saw Uncle Kei crying on the couch. So I walked towards him, plopped myself next to him, and awkwardly placed my hand on his shoulder. "Uncle Kei? Is something wrong?" I asked.

He continued to sob, totally ignoring me. So I sat there and just pat his back repeatedly in order for him to breathe properly.

"Mio..." he croaked. "Your mom..."

My ears perked up. "What happened to her? Is she alright?"

"Her condition got worse," he sniffled. Uncle Kei buried his face in his hands and seemed to ignore everything around him, completely unaware of his shirt getting wet.

I looked at him, not knowing what to do. But why did I feel like this?

Why wasn't I feeling any worry or sympathy for my own mother?

Well ever since the accident, she's always been treating Mayu a little better than me even though she was the older one.

And it made me feel the guilt a little more each day. Was that her way of saying "That's what you get for your carelessness"?

Because if it is, then it sure is working.

I couldn't help but stare at Uncle Kei and wonder...

_How strong is the bond between him and Mom?_

"Aren't you worried about her, Mio?" He stopped crying and looked at me with bloodshot eyes.

"To be honest... only a little." I sighed with regret, knowing that Uncle Kei was about to flood me with a lecture of why I should be worried for her.

"I-I understand." He rubbed his temples and closed his eyes again, wanting a moment of silence. I remained in a sitting position for quite a long time until I felt tears streaming from my eyes.

"Mio..."

"I'm sorry, Uncle. It's just... hard to feel worried about Mom. I know it's cruel, but sometimes I feel that she deserves to be ill."

_Did I really just say that? _

_Why on Earth would you say something so heartless?_

"How could you?"

"If only you knew..." I muttered under my breath.

He didn't seem to hear me, so he continued to speak. "You should be worried for the woman who raised you for almost your whole life! Do you know how hard it is for her to deal with you two?"

I shot up from the couch and screamed, "You have no frickin' idea how hard it is to live under the same roof with a lady who barely even loves you! Every day, I feel less love from her by the second. And then she blames me for Mayu's accident without even knowing how much guilt I can feel already. Do you really think I'd feel sorry for her? I'm really happy she's in the hospital because it's her punishment for not even caring for me once!"

_Oh dear. That went way too out of hand._

I expected him to slap me since that was usually what he always did if I talked like that. But instead, he held me close and caressed my head to my surprise.

"She's only treating Mayu better because she needs the support. And she can't help but feel the urge to blame the accident on _someone,_" Uncle Kei said.

"How would you know?" I sneered as I pulled away and wiped my tears off my face violently.

"Trust me. My words are never empty," he whispered. "And Mayu's doing something in return for you anyway."

"And what is that?" I asked.

"Once she dies, you'll have the opportunity to start all over with Mom."

"If she lives anyway..." I muttered. At the corner of my eye, I saw a red thing float across the hall.

That's when I realized Mayu had been listening the whole time.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oh gosh, what was that? o_o Mehehe, I think I tried too hard to be serious. Haha, I promise the next one will be about the beach! Reviews are accepted, especially flames.**


	7. Author's Note 1

Greetings! This chapter can be skipped if you don't wish to read any of this. It's nothing, really. Maybe.

Anyways, this is somewhat of an "author's note", considering it is a note made by an author. Derp.

I was looking at my reviews of this story and I just wanted to answer a few of them.. *coughcough*

VideoSpud: Thanks for being my support buddy throughout the recent chapters! I'll make sure I won't disappoint you with this. And hopefully you'll still be able to write the sequel with me. 8D

FFFFFreak: Oh gosh, thank you Ate! I try to make it as funny as possible, so thanks for being honest. ^^

tiachii: I know who you are, pfft. LOL, you could have just left an anonymous review. (x

LaLuuna: Thank you for taking your time to look at this story. I couldn't find much lighthearted stories here, so I wanted to write one for the sake of it. :3

Saberzoro: Yes, they are from "The Mask of the Lunar Eclipse". BTW, thanks for reading! And yeah, I was going to make Mio ask about the camera in Chapter 7 (haha, not here :P) and I'll explain Madoka's ghost form later on in the story as well. ^^

Anonymous3: Ey, I know who you are, Nika. Stop telling me your pretty lies.

anon: Five bonus points for you! I've always wanted them to have a love affair. xD Incest is the best (fail rhyme thar)~! I might twist the story around a little later on... You'll see.

Thanks for all your support, guys! I look forward to more reviews from you and I will try my best to not disappoint you.

Oh, **_spoiler:_**

Mayu dies. D8


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